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Making the Case: DeShawn Stevenson

In highschool, there was always a girl or two that were widely known for having a certain “speciality”. For the most part they were batshit crazy and overly obnoxious. They continuously went out of their way to insist “they didn’t care about what other people thought; they were just doing them”, and typically were the first to get a butterfly tattoo above their ass crack. Genuinely speaking, they always had dates to the Prom and Homecoming for the after party festivities, but never a consistent Friday and Saturday night boyfriend.

As a youngster, she was naturally beautiful and CEO-smart. People would compliment her on her attributes and she would glow, ready to take on the world. She had all the confidence in the world and her friends and family loved her; that is until she found her “first love” cheating on her in the bathroom during study hall.

As the years wore on, it was easier playing the dumb blonde-caked-up in makeup and way-too-tight Abercrombie clothes; a definitive mask hiding her from her deepest insecurities and extreme broken heart.

To her, being a stone cold killer and a bit of a crazy/easy/beautiful highschool bombshell was easier than taking a leap of faith into society as the next great business woman.

All the potential of Meryl Streep, with the attitude of Tara Reid.

To me, that is DeShawn Stevenson; the NBA’s version of the High School slut. A bit of a wildcard that’s full of potential but instead of living up to it, he decided to fit a mold. The tattoo comparison speaks for itself and the first-round pick spent by the Jazz in 2000 shows how he was regarded as a youngster.

He has under-achieved. He has an Abraham Lincoln tattoo on his Adam’s Apple. Fine. He loves to drink and may not be able to insert his foot into his mouth at certain times. Whatever. These are all foot notes to a larger storyline that prevailed last summer in the NBA Finals.

For all that he is and is not, there is one particular side of his game that should be deemed valuable by any team in contention for a deep playoff run, but for some reason doesn’t seem to be: HE HAS PROVEN THAT HE CAN STOP LEBRON JAMES! HE HAS A PERMANENT NOOK IN THE GUYS HEAD, THAT #6 CAN’T SEEM TO SHAKE. HE IS GOOD ENOUGH TO NOT ONLY SHUT HIM DOWN, BUT TELL HIM THAT HE’S SHUTTING HIM DOWN… TELLING IT STRAIGHT TO HIS RECEEDING HAIRLINED FACE. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT LEBRON JAMES HERE, THE BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER IN THE WORLD. REMEMBER?

I’m not sure where he is going to go, but it ought to be to a contender. In a perfect world, I would love for the Bulls to do it. With five million dollars to play with before hitting the tax threshold, the Bulls could trade Korver to Toronto to get Aaron Gray’s 1-year contract in return and maybe a little cash, which would add some much needed depth to the Bulls frontcourt after the departure of Kurt “Big Sexy” Thomas. Once that goes through, sign Stevenson. Even if it means you go over the tax threshold, Stevenson’s upside is completely worth it.

Note: The Bull’s could just as easily sign Stevenson and hold on to Korver. But it seems to me that he will more than likely lose his minutes to Stevenson after he will continue to blow his assignments on defense; a known factor of Korver’s game. To me, the Bulls are a bit short ended in the back court. Why not trade the three point specialist to somebody in need of a pure shooter, for a another adequate big that can spell the likes of Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, Boozer, and Noah. Oh and as much as it hurts to admit, Noah has yet to prove that he is truly dependable for an entire season; so as long as his health is in question, tucking another big man away will never hurt.

With his defensive capabilities, he would fit right in with the NBA’s best defensive minded coach. He could spell both the SG and SF positions and could be a capable offensive player (which could be necessary being that we don’t know what Rip is going to offer yet). PLUS, HE CAN STOP LEBRON JAMES!

I know the Deng/Brewer/Joakim/Rose combination did a formidable job defensively on LeBron last year, but you can never discount or overvalue a player that can get in the head of his opponent. Why do you think Michael was as good as he was? It wasn’t simply because he was blessed with the offensive game of a god; he got into the heads of those that were guarding him…on the defensive side of the ball. Sports, after all, are and will always be more of a mind game than a physical game (see: James, LeBron 4th quarter). The addition of the defensive Stevenson would do wonders for the Bulls once the playoffs roll around. Plus, you could never have enough SG/SF’s with Deng having played two full seasons in his career and tagging way to many minutes last year.